Nicoline Frølich

Internationalisation of higher education: the gap between national policy‐making and institutional needs

The article discusses the impact of the growing emphasis on internationalisation on higher education institutions. Based on case studies of 12 Scandinavian universities and colleges, it is shown how issues related to internationalisation trigger processes of trying to enhance the institutional capacity for strategic decision‐making and institutional integration through processes of formalisation, centralisation and professionalisation. Based on the institutional history and tradition, strategic ability and institutional characteristics, the outcomes of this process still show a considerably degree of variation in the motives and institutional adaptation to internationalisation. In the conclusion, it is argued that future policy‐making in the field of internationalisation should pay attention to the diverse needs of higher education, and develop policies that allow more flexibility and autonomy at the institutional level.

European universities as complete organizations? Understanding identity, hierarchy and rationality in public organizations

Abstract This article investigates the form of European universities to determine the extent to which they resemble the characteristics of complete organizations and whether the forms are associated with modernization policy pressure, national institutional frames and organizational characteristics. An original data set of twenty-six universities from eight countries was used. Specialist universities have a stronger identity, whereas the level of hierarchy and rationality is clearly associated with the intensity of modernization policies. At the same time, evidence suggests limitations for universities to become complete, as mechanisms allowing the development of some dimensions seemingly constrain the capability to develop others.

Student recruitment strategies in higher education: promoting excellence and diversity?

Purpose – This paper seeks to analyse how excellence and diversity are addressed in student recruitment strategies, and how these strategies are developed in eight Norwegian higher education institutions.Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises a theoretical perspective that asserts that strategy is developed through practice. The authors have combined document analysis with qualitative interviews to investigate the development of institutional student recruitment strategies, their characteristics and their links to the individual institutions profile and ambitions.Findings – The study reveals that student recruitment strategies are often grounded in inherent institutional identities, while at the same time responding to external ideas about excellence and diversity. The study also finds that higher education institutions show significant creativity in trying to adapt to these ideas and general trends, while at the same time maintaining their own characteristics and traditions. Findings suggest t...

Factors affecting strategic change in higher education

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify those factors that key actors in university governance hold as to be important in realizing strategic change within their institutions. Design/methodology/approach – Key decision-makers in 26 European universities were surveyed on their views on which factors bring about strategic change. The results were interpreted using a theoretical framework emphasizing organizational archetypes and their development. Findings – The findings indicated that strategic changes in universities were perceived as highly dependent on leadership, decision-making procedures, communication and evaluation. However, some differences between the universities in the sample can be identified, supporting indicating the relevance of using organizational archetypes as an analytical tools for observing change within the higher education sector. Originality/value – The study links organizational level developments on strategic management to macro-level change within the European higher ...

Science policy and the driving forces behind the internationalisation of science: The case of Norway

While the increase in internationalisation of science is well documented, there is less literature that explicitly addresses the driving forces behind this trend. In this paper we investigate the relationship between science policy and the growth of international scientific collaboration. We look into whether overall globalisation trends can explain changes in internationalisation, or whether such changes may be better understood as consequences of organised political efforts within the area of science and research policy. We also focus on the relationship between international collaboration and foreign funding, because the share of research funding coming from foreign sources has risen in most countries. The intention of the present paper is to focus on this issue using Norway as a case study. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Learning outcomes across disciplines and professions: measurement and interpretation

Learning outcomes of higher education are a quality tool in a changing higher education landscape but cannot be seen as neutral measures across professions and disciplines. Survey results from graduates and recent graduates indicate that prevailing measures of learning outcomes yield the same result within and across disciplinary and professional divides. The main interpretation is that learning outcomes must be seen as a valid construct but that the results are highly dependent on the profession and discipline in a way that cannot be reduced to differences in learning outcomes only; measurements of learning outcomes must also be interpreted as mirroring different knowledge structures and knowledge bases in different professions and disciplines. Thus, attempts to make neutral comparisons of learning outcomes between different professions and disciplines are vulnerable to measuring only the differences in knowledge structures.

Institutional Governance Structures

A great deal of effort has been undertaken to structure and organize higher education institutions in line with national policies, often inspired by international policy shifts. The influence of these policy shifts has been interpreted in several ways, with two dominant arguments prevailing (see, for example, Amaral, Jones and Karseth, 2002; Amaral, Meek and Larsen, 2003; Amaral et al., 2009; Huisman, 2009; Paradeise et al., 2009). On the one hand, studies focus on the similarities of the reforms and their similar influence on higher education institutions. On the other hand, national path dependencies and reform trajectories are emphasized. To provide an update on the influence of reforms on higher education institutions, a global literature review is presented. The review examines one key feature of higher education reforms: the changes in institutional governance structures.

Learning outcomes – a useful tool in quality assurance? Views from academic staff

While the establishment of quality assurance has been seen for decades as the most significant instrument to secure and enhance the quality of teaching and learning in higher education, the concept of developing more specific learning outcomes has in recent years attracted much interest, not least due to the creation of national qualification frameworks. In this article, we compare the perceived relevance of the traditional quality assurance approach with the new learning outcomes approach – as seen from the view of the academic staff. Using data from a representative survey among Norwegian academic staff, the study indicates that learning outcomes are perceived as more useful and relevant than traditional quality assurance approaches. The article discusses this finding in light of the current ways quality assurance procedures are functioning in higher education, and points to possible implications for the enhancement of quality in universities and colleges.

Managing Learning Outcomes

It is probably uncontroversial to say that the last few decades have witnessed an increasing interest in leadership in higher education. The interest has been spurn by policy changes in higher education and public administration in general that have changed higher education governance profoundly. The general observation is that leadership in higher education has shifted from old modes of leadership based in academic and collegial values to new modes of governance increasingly based in social responsibleness and managerialism (consult for example Bleiklie, 2005; Shattock, 2002).

University Strategizing: The Role of Evaluation as a Sensemaking Tool

Higher education institutions (hereafter HEI) are increasingly adopting practices from the private sector. One such practice is strategy formulation and strategic development processes. To study such practices and processes is important as we need to strengthen our knowledge of how new practices may influence and change the HEI on the inside, while also recognizing that strategy formulation is about how the HEI interprets its relationship to the environment.